31 December, 1999
by Colourmeclassy
Summary: The story of what occurred before Jack returned to the Hub that fateful New Year's Eve. Spoilers for 2.12: Fragments. Rated primarily for violence.


Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, but I did make up all the characters except for Jack and Alex. Haha.

"Only thirty minutes until midnight and counting!" The sing-songy voice of Dr. Daisy Kendrick rang throughout the headquarters of Torchwood 3. Computer specialist Nicola Bell looked away from her computer screen to see Daisy beaming at her.

"We're all well-aware," Nicola laughed softly as she continued to type. "Not only do you keep us informed of the time every ten minutes, but so does the telly." She jerked her head slightly in the direction of the murmuring television set.

"Nic! Can you just stop working for even a mo'?" Daisy responded in exasperation, increasing the volume of the television.

"So that's what we're doing to ring in the New Year over in London! How about you guys in Cardiff?" The handsome TV anchor flashed a dazzling smile as the camera switched over to his pretty counterpart.

"We're having a raucous good time over here, Adam!" The blonde newswoman announced amidst a large crowd of party-goers.

"I've got work to do, Daisy. All of us do." Nicola raised her voice slightly to speak over the television, a signal to Daisy to lower the volume. She silently obeyed, albeit a little sulkily. "Jack will be back within the hour, and we've got to be prepared when he gets here."

"Oh hush," Daisy waved her off, her smile and enthusiasm returning. "We're a mere half an hour away from the year 2000, and you really think we should ring it in by _working_?"

"I've got to agree with that statement," Lewis Jernigan chimed in from his spot to the right of Nicola. "We're on the precipice of the twenty-first century! We work hard. We're entitled to a break."

"You've got no say," Nicola replied teasingly, her focus briefly leaving the computer screen. "As I said, Jack will be back soon with the Millenium Bug and we have to be properly ready-"

"And we will be!" Daisy interrupted. "We are now, and we will be then. No harm in taking some time to have some fun. Don't you agree with me, Hugh?" She called to the hulking ex-police officer as he passed by.

"Oh don't you drag me into this, Daise," Hugh gave a hearty chuckle. "Tell you what, I'll ask the boss while I'm in here." He poked his thumb toward the door next to him. "In the meanwhile, I think you should see if Jory needs any last minute help."

Daisy heaved a large, dramatic sigh. "You know he won't." She huffed, skulking toward the autopsy room.

Hugh smiled to himself at Daisy's usual over exuberance as he knocked on the door.

"Alex?" He pushed the door open and allowed himself in. The leader of Torchwood 3 sat at his desk, staring raptly at an ancient silver locket. "What do you have there, mate?" Hugh queried, approaching the desk after carefully closing the door behind him. Alex Hopkins' gaze rose from the locket to look at Hugh's face. It was then that Hugh saw that Alex's eyes were red from irritation, from... crying? "Alex, what's the matter?" He asked again. Alex muttered something incoherent in reply. "What?"

"We aren't ready," Alex spoke again, only slightly louder. His voice was gravelly and hoarse.

"Ready for what?" Hugh interrogated further, pulling a chair up to Alex's desk.

"We aren't ready," Alex repeated himself, slightly more forcefully this time. "It will be a massacre, and we can't stop it, we can't fight it, we can't.." His voice cracked on the last word. His eyes fell back to the locket.

"You're starting to worry me," Hugh shifted in his seat nervously. Still, his tone was full of concern for his boss and longtime friend. "Give me an idea about what's happening? Maybe I can help."

"No one can help," Alex snapped matter-of-factly. "Don't you get that? _No one can help. _I've thought of a way to save us, though. Not everyone, of course, I couldn't save everyone. Us, though, I can..." He trailed off again, suddenly captured once more by his thoughts.

"Alex," Hugh's voice became a bit gruffer, more aggressive, "tell me what's wrong."

Alex's eyes flickered up again and he stared at Hugh for a long moment. Then, in one perfectly fluid motion, he reached for his right hand drawer, removed the gun he kept there, and shot Hugh point blank in the head. Hugh's large body flopped back against the chair, his shattered skull lolling back. A splatter of blood and brain painted the door behind him.

"Jesus Christ, what was that?" Nicola cried out, glancing around her. Lewis rose from his work station defensively.

"It sounded like a..." He trailed off, staring over Nicola's shoulder. She turned her head to follow his gaze. Alex stood before them. His expression was unreadable, and his hand was behind his back. A terrible thought occurred to Nicola then, but she shook it away, refusing to believe what was happening.

"Alex?" Lewis called out, walking around Nicola to approach their boss. "What was that noise? Where's Hugh? What's..." His words halted at that moment, as Alex drew the gun from behind him. "Nic," he warned steadily, "run."

Before either Lewis or Nicola could react further, Alex shot Lewis in the head and he fell down dead. Nicola sucked in a sharp gasp.

"Lew... ah, Alex, why..." Tears began to spill from her eyes as she backed away slowly. She moved around nervously, trying to find the proper exit strategy as quickly as possible. Her mind raced through her training, her years of experience, her life.

"Nic, I'm sorry," he choked out before shooting again. The bullet struck Nicola in the stomach and she made a sputtering noise of shock.

"Why," she coughed as her knees threatened to give way.

"I won't let them get us, Nic, I promise." Before she could respond, Alex shot her again in the abdomen. She let out a terrible gurgly cry before crumpling to the ground. He took a breath, a pause, to regain his composure. Jory ran in, alerted by the sound of the shootings. He stopped, still on the floor above Alex, and stared at the carnage below in horror.

"Alex, what-" Alex shot before Jory could finish. Once in the shoulder, then in the chest. Jory's twitching body slumped limply over the half-wall in front of him.

Alex swallowed the sob that threatened to erupt from his throat as he surveyed his surroundings. He collected his thoughts: Hugh in the office, Nicola and Lewis in the Main Hall, Jory came from the autopsy room... which is where it was likely he would find Daisy. He needed to act quickly - Jack would be back soon. He pulled the necklace from his pocket and clenched it in his free hand. Just touching it helped remind him of why he had to do this. The mere feel of the silver beneath his fingers brought the visions flooding back to him. He could smell the burning flesh in the air as if it was already humanity's last day on Earth.

Daisy sat under a gurney, hugging her legs to her chest. She pressed her face against her knees as she cried, trying to suppress the soft noises that escaped from her throat. She wondered if the rest of the team was dead now. She wondered if Jory was okay. They had been doing busy work, preparing for an autopsy, when the first bang sounded.

"What was that?" Daisy's voice was barely above a whisper. Jory shook his head in reply.

"I'm not sure..." As they stood there staring at one another in fear and confusion, they heard a second shot. This time, the cause was indisputable - someone was shooting a gun in the Hub.

"I'm going to go see what's happening," Jory said quickly, lifting the white sheet from covering one of the gurneys. "Get under here." He gestured underneath.

"Jory, you're scaring me..." She hesitated.

"Daisy, I am your superior. Get under this right now." His tone was deadly serious, and Daisy knew she should obey. She crawled underneath and Jory draped the sheet over the gurney so she was obscured from view. "Now be quiet and don't come out until I come back. Promise me," he added gently.

"I won't," she managed to choke out. Her throat was tight and tears stung her eyes. He nodded his head solemnly and let the sheet drop from his hand. She heard his quick footsteps as he ran out of the room, and then he was gone. She heard two more shots, and then two more. Jory still hadn't come back.

"Daisy?" Alex's voice came from beyond the sheet. "Daisy, are you in here?" He asked again when she didn't respond. She swallowed and cleared her throat before trying to reply.

"Alex?" She squeaked. The sheet flew up, and Alex's face appeared before her. "Alex, what's happening? What were those gunshots? Where's Jory?" She scanned his body, looking for signs of injury. He seemed unharmed - the only thing that caught her eye was the glimpse of silver in his hand. "What's that in your hand?" He stepped back, breathing slowly and lowered his other hand into her view. In it, he clenched a gun that was pointed at her head. "Alex, what are you doing?" She shrieked, throwing herself backwards from under the gurney and causing it to fall on its side. "Please, Alex, please," she begged, her tears flowing freely and the sobs coming violently. "Alex, why, Alex, please..." She repeated, stumbling over her words.

"Daisy, I have to," he said firmly, "I'm doing this to protect you, to protect all of you. We aren't ready. It's not safe here anymore." Despite his words, she could see him faltering slightly.

"What's that in your hand?" She reached toward the glimpse of a silver chain in his other hand.

"Don't touch it!" He roared, yanking it from her grasp. She jumped back, cowering against the wall. He relaxed, lowered the arm that held the gun to his side, and held out the contents of his other hand so she could see it. It was a locket; a silver pendant hung from the chain. "It's the pride and joy of Torchwood's collection of alien relics. Gallifreyan."

"Galli... freyan?" She inquired further, her voice quivering as she spoke.

"A planet long forgotten by time. I don't know how Torchwood came into possession of it. This belonged to a Gallifreyan soothsayer. The inhabitants of Gallifrey were known for their incredible powers of prophecy. I thought I could use it to our advantage. If I knew what was coming, I thought we could protect the planet, protect ourselves, but now I know better..."

"Alex, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Tell me what happened," Daisy said softly after Alex seemed to trail off.

"DON'T YOU GET IT, DAISY?" He shouted again. "It's too late." He added, his voice trembling, as he raised the gun once more and shot her in the head.

Alex numbly wandered back into the Main Hall of the Hub. He sat on the stool in front of the television and increased the volume.

"We're minutes away from the end of the twentieth century here in Cardiff!" The news anchor announced excitedly. "Let's ask some spectators what their New Year's resolution is!" Alex changed his focus from the television to the locket in his hand. He stroked the face of the pendant with his thumb as he replayed the past half an hour in his mind. He contemplated what he would say to Jack when he arrived. He wished Jack would understand, but knew that he wouldn't. He had to do it, he told himself again. He wished he could save Jack like he could save himself and the others.

"We aren't ready," he muttered to himself, seeing the images the locket had forced into his mind's eye yet again.

"Anybody home?" The warm voice of Captain Jack Harkness rang throughout the headquarters of Torchwood 3. Alex exhaled slowly, preparing himself for Jack's reaction. It was time.


End file.
